Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20050717.htm

FEASTING ON THE NAMES OF JEHOVAH
Part III: Applying The Name Of "Jehovah-Nissi," God Our Banner
(Exodus 17:15)
  1. Introduction
    1. God calls us who know Christ to gain spiritual victory over the world (1 John 2:15-16), the sin nature (Gal. 5:16) and the devil (Jas. 4:7b), and overcome all other foes that resist our doing His will, Heb. 13:6.
    2. Such victories demand power beyond our human abilities, cf. John 15:5b; yet, by faith in God and His Word, we can "do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" to cite Philippians 4:13 KJV.
    3. The events behind the name, "Jehovah-Nissi," illustrate this truth for our instruction and edification:
  2. Applying The Name Of "Jehovah-Nissi," God Our Banner, Exodus 17:15.
    1. In her wilderness journeys, Israel faced a humanly overwhelming, spiteful, vile foe in the Amalekites:
      1. Exodus 17:8 reveals the Amalekites came out and fought against Israel in her wilderness journeys.
      2. They were too strong, spiteful and vile for Israel to handle on her own (Z.P.E.B., v. One, p. 123-124):
        1. The Amalekites descended from Esau according to Genesis 36:15-16, and Esau's descendants were notorious for perpetually hating Israel; this animosity had begun and was never resolved as Israel's ancestor, Jacob had stolen the paternal blessing of their ancestor, Esau, Genesis 27:41; Obad. 1, 10.
        2. God did not want Israel to fight the Amalekites without His help; the Amalekites were too powerful for Israel as they excelled at war both in the valleys (Num. 14:25) and in the hills (Num. 14:45).
        3. In addition, the Amalekites had proved to be spiteful towards Israel and her God: Deut. 25:17-18 reveals they attacked Israel's stragglers after the nation left Egypt, a deed done not only out of contempt for Israel, but out of disrespect for Israel's God, the Lord of the universe!
    2. God thus told Moses to have Joshua choose and lead men in Israel to attack Amalek in God's power; Moses was to stand on the hilltop in view of the warriors and hold up his rod that had symbolized God's great power in God's delivering Israel out of Egypt, Exodus 17:9 with 17:5 and Exodus 7:20.
    3. Joshua heeded Moses, leading the men of Israel in battle against the Amalekites, Exodus 17:10.
    4. When Moses lifted up his hand that held his rod, signifying Israel was to rally in faith around the power of the Lord, Israel prevailed over Amalek, Exodus 17:11a; yet, when Moses' hands became weary of holding the rod up, and he let it down so that Israel's men could not recall they were rallying around the Lord's power to fight the Amalekites, Israel's men began to lose the battle to the Amalekites, Exodus 17:11b.
    5. To handle the crisis of Moses' weakness, Aaron and Hur took a stone to place under him so Moses could sit and preserve his strength, and they each grabbed an arm that grasped the rod to hold Moses' arms and the rod aloft; Israel's men could thus rally around God and win the battle against the Amalekites, 17:12.
    6. Thus, in God's power, the men of Israel soundly defeated the Amalekites, a strong, spiteful, dangerous and vile foe they could not have handled apart from God's help, Ryrie St. Bible, KJV , ftn. to Ex. 17:13!
    7. God then had Moses write down His will regarding the Amalekites as a memorial, His will being for Israel continually to fight against Amalek until the Amalekites were annihilated, Ex. 17:14, 16. Though God normally gave Israel's enemies time to relent and surrender unharmed to Israel (cf. Deut. 20:10-12), the Amalekites had been so vile toward Israel and so disrespectful toward God, they would be annihilated!
    8. After the battle, in honor of God's deliverance via the holding aloft of Moses' rod as a rallying banner of faith in God, Moses built an altar, naming it, "Jehovah-nissi," or "Jahweh My (military rallying) Banner"! This testified that Israel's present and future victories over her humanly overwhelming, vile, spiteful foe in Amalek would be assured as she looked to GOD in FAITH for help in annihilating Amalek!
Lesson: Regardless if the Amalekites were too powerful, spiteful and vile for Israel to handle in her OWN strength, providing she rallied around GOD in FAITH, around "Jahweh My (military rallying) Banner," she WOULD eventually ANNIHILATE this formidable foe!

Application: When God's Word indicates we CAN in HIS power DEFEAT the spiritual foe of the world or the sinful nature or the devil, or that we CAN overcome the efforts of FORMIDABLE human foes to our ACCOMPLISHING His WILL for us, be SURE that by trusting in "Jahweh-Nissi", God our rallying Banner, we CAN and WILL gain the victory! May we then rally around God our Banner!